GLOBAL STUDY on Homicide
Within the broad range of violent deaths, the core element of intentional homicide is the complete liability of the direct perpetrator, which thus excludes killings directly related to war or conflicts, self-inflicted death (suicide), killings due to legal interventions or justifiable killings (such as self-defence), and those deaths caused when the perpetrator was reckless or negligent but did not intend to take a human life (non-intentional homicide). Due to the sheer magnitude of its violence, as well as the perceived number of lives lost, violence stemming from armed conflict receives a great deal of attention from the international community. Yet intentional homicide exists in every country, and as in many countries with high homicide levels it accounts for far more lives lost than those attributable to, for example, war or conflict, it also represents a major threat to civilian security. The right to life is a supreme normative imperative, enshrined in both constitutional and international law.3 The process and criteria for protecting against the unlawful taking of life, taking steps to safeguard the lives of those within its jurisdiction, and of assigning responsibility for violent deaths within that jurisdiction are key obligations of the State, predominantly through its criminal justice system. More broadly, the obligation to protect human life is the cornerstone of countries’ efforts to develop crime prevention policies. The provision of analytical tools for monitoring trends and patterns of homicide therefore plays a vital role in increasing the capacity of national authorities and the international community to understand and respond adequately to intentional homicide. As this study shows, homicide is not merely a tool employed by violent criminals to achieve their material goals, and is not only restricted to fringe elements of society. As homicide affects people from all walks of life there is a need to look at lethal violence from different angles. For that reason, the Global Study on Homicide 2013 takes up the mantle of its 2011 predecessor by not only updating the global overview of intentional homicide, but by also delving deeper into the understanding of its very nature. It benefits from the availability of new homicide data to provide fur3 United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (1982). General Comment No. 06: The right to life (article 6). Para. 1; Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 3; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, article 6.1; Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 6; Geneva Conventions, Common article 3.1.a.
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ther statistical evidence and analysis to help improve the understanding of trends and patterns in lethal violence and aid the development of policies to curb it. The circumstances, motivations and relationships that drive homicide are multiple and often overlapping. But though the borders between these factors are often blurred, this study employs a comprehensive approach to broaden the field of study by classifying intentional homicide into three main typologies: homicide related to other criminal activities; to interpersonal conflict; and to socio-political agendas. It also looks at homicide and violence in the wake of conflict and in countries with a recent history of civil unrest, and examines the roles played in homicide by various mechanisms, including weapons, and enabling factors, such as psychoactive substances, in order to assess how they can facilitate lethal violence. Last but not least, data on the criminal justice response to homicide are also presented as they can assess the capacity of the State to respond to homicide. Indeed, a relationship exists between levels of impunity and rates of homicide, and while the relationship between security, justice and development may not necessarily be linear, there is increasing evidence that a lack of security, which is often associated with a weak criminal justice system, can block the path to development of countries and their populations. Such analyses have been made possible due to the gradual expansion and consolidation of the UNODC Homicide Statistics (2013) dataset, though a number of challenges still exist, particularly in terms of enhancing the coverage of country data and its disaggregation. In this area, cooperation with other international and regional organizations is fundamental, and the concrete measures taken for implementing joint data collections and developing common methodological standards, as well as coordinating technical assistance activities, are big steps in the right direction.